Kei te whakatangihia te pūtātara hei tohu whakaeke mō te manuhiri ki te marae, hei whakaatu rānei kua whānau he pēpi. Kei te whakatangihia anō hoki hei whakahuihui tāngata mō ngā akoranga whai take, ki te whawhai rānei. He tino taonga te pūtātara. Tata kore tēnei momo kota e kitea i Aotearoa, heoi anō pea kia pae mai ki ngā one o te raki o Te Tai Tokerau. Nā reira, kei te tohua he taonga takoha nā Tangaroa, te atua o te moana. Nā Brian Flintoff i whakairo te ngutu pūtātara e whakaahuatia nei. Ka takohatia ki Te Papa i te tau 1997, hei wāhanga o te kohinga Haumanu.